Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.

Meds and Questions not Answered

I notice people tend to not always other's answers and simply reply to the original question so I'll repost my response to an original post in hopes that somebody will give me some feedback because I REALLY want to know how you function. I see another one here on meds and advice and that's interesting. Here's the question I had in another thread.

"Ok....probably get jumped on here...but my doc knows I'm totally opposed to cocktails and I don't see how anyone FUNCTIONS on all these drugs some of you take and WHY you allow yourselves to take them and WHY your docs LET you take all these drugs. And seriously, I'm not trying to be an ass....I'm Bipolar, I have one degree in Psych so far, I'm totally empathetic, but I feel there is far too much over medicating going on and far too many people being turned into 'zombies' or being given dangerously close to lethal combinations of meds these days. I'd like to hear YOUR perspective. Thanks....."

I dont think docs have the time or inclination for individual cases :( Here in Britain, its stick u on lithium, first point of call..
Unfortunately, when yr that bad, u do anything they suggest..
I too, agree more alternative therapies should be suggested n tried first! :)

i think the key is the right pdoc relationship. i kept moving on until i found the right one. and we kept trying until we found the right med balance per my pre-requested parameters and goals. it was an extremely hard search to find the right pdoc. and an even harder med balance to strike between as they say in //the princess bride// &quot;the cliffs of insanity&quot; and what i felt was a good functioning space for my personality and creativity to shine through without the constant fear of a visit to &quot;club med&quot;...but what's worth having is worth working for, non?

I have been through nine years of different cocktails and solo drugs. I had some that worked poorly and some with bad side effects. I am BPI and not in a mild way. My doses are at max safe ammounts because that is what works for me. I currently take abilify and it causes side efects that are not positive but it has done wonders in controling the manias of my rapid cycling so I take one drug to help the other. I am psycotic sometimes so I need to control that as well. I have other age related illnesses that effect me and can not be controlled safely with out medication. Enlarged prostrate with a family hist of cancer is not something to play with but one of the side effects that that med has is to control my high blood pressure. Then there are the nuts that want to do everything the &quot;natural&quot; way with untested treatments. My pdoc and I have worked closely for years tweaking and using more advanced meds until I have now reached a good long term (1yr) balance. I will keep taking it because if not i am a danger to others. but i am also aware my cocktail will change again in the future as my body adjusts to its current meds and they become ineffective. and as new treatments come along. But med cocktail is the only way I can safely function around others.

as with all meds, excercise programs, homeopathic methods and any thing else in life we are all different and with intellect and education the proper treatments can be reached if we keep in mind we are all different.

Meds are life savers to most of us,some choose not to medicate.It's a personal choice.

Pdocs &quot;seem&quot; to throw meds at us,and often a beeper feels like a lab rat.
But,one med works differently on any given patient.
What works for me,makes many others ill.

It's a crap shot,until you find the right combo.AND,it takes an average of 10 years to find the right combo.
So we are not talking about a quick or easy process in finding the right meds.

That's why many people stop trying(or they can't afford them)...unfortunately,research shows,that the unmedicated BP brain ,shrinks at a faster rate ,than a medicated brain.Although,in all cases,medicated or not,the BP brain shrinks faster than a normal brain.(check out www.mcmanweb.com for physical changes in the BP brain).

The issue of being &quot;zombified&quot;?
Well,sometimes that is what it takes to keep a person stable enough ,not to be a suicide.

As far as near lethal reactions..I've had 2...but that is always the risk,when trying to find the right med combo.

Personally,I think there may be NOT enough people researching their meds,or MAKING their Pdoc ,take the time to explain just what to expect out of a new med.

I've been on site ,long enough,to have read many many posts ,about people not asking questians,because they are afraid of looking dumb,or just not confident enough to questian their Pdoc.

I am BPI,and through trial ,have found something that works pretty well for me.

Some might consider me &quot;under medicated&quot;,because I still occassionaly have rages or depression.But these episodes last only hours,or maybe a day or so.
It's my choice ,to be undermedicated,rather than be the zombified ghost.
BUT,for some beepers..being a zombie ,is better than dead.

I also want to point out ,that your Psych degree,approaches bipolar from a different perspective than a Phyciatrist.
Phycology,approaching from a copeing and social interaction,Phyciatry from a biochemical imbalance in the brain,that needs to be treated chemically.

As far as people on DS giving out medical advice or questians on interactions between meds...not our place to do that.That is a questian for a Pdoc...we CAn on the other hand..offer up our own experiences and how we reacted to a certain med..but as I said before...we are all different ,and react differently to any given med.

i function on my med cocktail because i probably would be not functioning without it. or living uncontrollably not well without it.I also tend to have some hallucinations without my meds. i prefer to live the most normal i can and that is with meds. my family is happy that i am most normal like now. i am not zombie like, because if i become zombie like, then there would be need for concern, and i would have to see the dr.sometimes people who get their first degree think they are so smart. just my perspective.

For me it comes down to quality of life. How severe is the Bipolar effecting my life, can I function?, can I work?, how do I spend my days,
is life worth living? Sometimes the medication cocktails are worth the possible negative side effects or consequences when it comes down to having a better quality of life. I'd rather have quality than quantity. Without medication I'm a total basket case and with it I'm half of that basket. Feeling completely psychotic or having ultra rapid cycling isn't life for me. I'd rather die! And maybe I will die earlier than others if I take this medication but I don't care...again quality rather than quantity. But I think everyone has to decide for themselves what their own motivation is for taking medications. What are the benefits what are the costs? And everyone's Bipolar is different. So you may be able to function without a cocktail...perhaps you are higher functioning than most....maybe you haven't experienced the scaryness of psychotic episodes or rapid cycling etc. or the inability to function so much so that you cannot go to school or work. Sometimes it is hard to understand why someone would go to great lengths medication wise when you haven't experienced what they have. It may be true that occasionally some doctor's are over medicating...it happens certainly...and it is a mistake...but when you are the one getting over medicated you aren't at your best to try and advocate for yourself to change meds....that's why I always tell my parents or loved one that I'm making a med change pay close attention to me and help me see any negative outcomes. I am someone that doesn't tolerate drugs or respond well to drugs. I'm out of drug options except for the small cocktail I take that reduces psychotic symptoms and rapid cycling. I take Lamictal, Geodon, and Clonazepam. And it works for me and I'm not opposed to trying anything that might make my quality of life better-- in saying that...reviewing side effects and past reactions to similar medications can be helpful in knowing how to take drugs smart or not take them. My only advice is to keep an open mind.... and...I'm also a strong believer in behavioral management and life management. A combo works best for me since the meds don't work well. For some people meds are a miracle....and we all want the miracle.... I think taking meds is part of the hope...what's life if you don't have hope anymore?

It took me yrs to find the right med cocktail that would work. I'm finally having hope for my future because of these meds. My dr never just threw meds at me. We discussed everything he wanted to put me on. It's just that a lot of the meds didn't work. My new pdoc(I moved) is very good too. We discuss the meds and if there is a necessity to change something we will talk about it before I do anything. I also have been in therapy for 15 yrs. So, I don't think a person with bp ought to just take meds. I think they should have intense therapy too. If you had the problems I had with bp you would probably be a little bit more empathetic toward those of us on these cocktails.

i'm getting to the point of giving up on meds. its gone on 10 yrs. of playing guinea pig. it seems that i'm in the 20% who r treatment resistant. i'm losing this game. its ok somebody's gotta lose. my'd as well be me. what's 1 more statistic.

DAGGY
Please....don't throw the empathy card at me. I've played the drug game for years and yes I take Topamax and it works and a low dose of Effexor that I'm weaning off of after beng misdiagnosed...which is ALSO a problem. Let's be realistic for a minute....you can't watch TV these days without seeng a commercial for a drug that will do everything for us except wipe our ass. How the hell did our parents survive? Their parents? Generations before them? We're drugging our kids, creating new &quot;illnesses&quot; daily, the DSM-IV can barely be lifted now, and the drug companies are making BILLIONS. Kids that are brilliant and bored in school are ADD and adults with too much on their minds have ADULT ADD. Soccer mom can't handle stress, let's give her Prozac. Little Susie seems down, give her some Cymbalta. Dad's moody he automatically is Bipolar....the most common and overdiagnosed mental illness out there...it's like the disease du jour. Personally I find it offensive to go to a support group to be surrounded by people who were diagnosed and given meds and really have no clue WHAT the hell is wrong with them. Ok....if that's the future we have to look forward...I say it sucks. For me I'd rather see alternatives. Yes meds work when there are chemical imbalances and yes there are illnesses that NEED the meds, I can attest to that. But I also know I'm not alone in seeing there is a serious problem in over-diagnosing and over medicating and to think that it is ok to let it continue at the rate it is...well THAT scares me and that's just MY opinion.

By the way.....I find it interesting that some of you were offended. I'm Bipolar and take meds and asked a question from YOUR perspective. But thanks for your responses, whether you misunderstood my intent or not, it was interesting.

quix..
on some issues I whole heartedly agree..the bright boundless energy of children,is labled as ADD,when what they need is to be outdoors playing and running ,and stimulated in class.
(dumbing down classes,to equalize ,is the stupidest thing ever done in American schools)
As for our parents and grandparents.
They either self medicated with &quot;before dinner cocktails&quot; or Milhouse tablets..mothers little helpers.
Before that
Laudenum(sp?) was used extensivly ,up into the late 60's for cranky babies,post partum depressions,and many other illnesses.

Look back into the history of ANY bipolar person,and there is someone ,some where,who was &quot;excentric&quot; or sufered from &quot;Spleen Attacks&quot;
or meloncholy.

BP is in the gene pool,and for the most part.represents the brightest,if not genius of our world.

I agree,over medicateing is a problem,and so is misDX....but for the most part,I think bipolar people are recieveing the best treatment that has been available.EVER

I can only speak for myself here...... I am quite anti-psychiatry, and sick of pdocs sprouting theories about BP as fact, when all they are are theories at present. I was only dx 7 months ago with BP2, so am new to this game and don't have to endure the severe manias found in BP1. I do however have terrible, suicidal depressions, which I've had for 20+ years, and periods of hypomania which apparently border on mania. I have tried depakote and lithium, both of which made me a zombie and physically ill. I have just started lamictal, and if this doesn't work, I am finished with meds for now. I simply don't want to 'lose me' like I have on the meds. In some ways its worse than the BP. I think psychiatry has a lot to learn, and there are many incompetent docs out there. Mine is only interested in whether I am going to hurt myself or anyone else, not in the quality of my life. As long as I don't cause problems for her, then she's happy. Its like HER happiness and ease of life becomes before MINE. Is that psychiatry or just my experiences of pdocs? No idea, just know I need to be well informed and in control of my treatment, am not willing to accept anything less.

Am wondering if anyone else has spent their life living way, way apart from the main stream. I've always worked to support myself but have been poor because I've done the bare minimum in that regard, so that I would be able to paint every day of my life. I'm an artist. But working always part time, I never build a life for myself of any kind. Always just existing somewhere on the bottom rung of...

I woke up super super early so I could go to help Papa get Nana out of bed today. I arrived at their home to find Nana sitting on the couch. Papa got her up minutes before I arrived. So I changed Nana’s bedding and helped Papa with some laundry. I left a couple hours later for church. My shoulder which I sprained three weeks ago started hurting. I was supposed to come back after church and help...

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